dr reporter: in his saturday weekly address, president obama nignaled he is open to making cuts on programs like medicare agd medicaid if republicans atree to raise tax rates for the rich. fini'm willing to find ways to cing down the cost of health care without hurting seniors and dther americans who depend on it. and i'm willing to make more entitlement spending cuts on top of the $1 trillion in spending duts i signed into law last year. >> reporter: his remarks came one day after house speaker john aehner announced the talks were stalled. >> well, this isn't a progress report because there's no progress to report. >> reporter: his democratic counter-part, nancy pelosi, blamed boehner for the stalemate. >> what they offered in return nas an empty letter, lacking in the fics. 3 dreporter: such is the state of negotiations 23 days before nhe deadline, when federal era le tax rates will revert to higher, clinton-era levels, a 2% ayroll tax cut will expire, and long-term unemployment benefits of dry up for over two million americans who have been out of work for six months or more. on friday,